Meeting Luna
by MikRES
Summary: Crossover with HP. Where does Luna go when her parents are out hunting Snorkacks? Try the US of A. Completely AU, spoilers for the NCIS episode ‘The Meat Puzzle’.
1. Ducky

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, spoilers for the NCIS episode: "The Meat Puzzle"**

**Title: Meeting Luna**

**Summary: Where does Luna go when her parents are out hunting Snorkacks? Try the US of A. Completely AU, spoilers for the NCIS episode 'The Meat Puzzle'.**

**Chapter 1- Ducky**

Ducky watched as Mary Hanlan withdrew the thick needle from its casing and handed it to her son. He clenched his hands into fists as he struggled against his bindings, then forced himself to breathe deeply and remain still as Vincent Hanlan placed the needle into his neck. His eyes opened to stare at the ceiling as mother and son stood placidly next to him, watching his blood flow out of the tubing and into a reservoir placed on the floor, below the table he was tied to. _Jethro, if you're ever going to find me… _

The door banged open and he heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Leroy Jethro Gibbs bark orders to his team.

"My hands—untie my hands!!" he directed them quickly. He was already starting to feel dizzy from the blood loss. Thankfully, Tony came forward and quickly undid the bindings on his hands. Quickly, he pulled the needle out of his neck and pressed his hand against the wound to still the blood flow with a sigh of relief. He noticed from the corner of his eyes that Gibbs and McGee had their guns trained on Mary and Vincent Hanlan, but Kate was doing a thorough search of the room, including the hidden room where they had kept him. Ducky turned panicked eyes to Gibbs as he barked his question to the Hanlans.

"Where is she?!"

"Jethro, please tell me you've already found her!" Ducky said, his heart starting to beat faster in panic.

* * *

Ducky opened his eyes blearingly to find himself in a dimly lit, slightly stuffy room. He blinked rapidly, trying to get his teary eyes to focus. The last thing he remembered was reading to Luna on the sofa on the ground floor study while Kate watched amusedly—certainly not conducive to waking up with his hands tied and missing his glasses.

"Ah, Dr. Mallard. Thank you for joining us." A male voice greeted.

"Vincent Hanlan. Last I heard you were buried six feet under for over a year. How is it that you appear in such wondrous conditions after exhumation?" Ducky asked.

"You'll do well to hold your tongue." A sharp female voice retorted as she stepped into the light.

"Mrs. Hanlan, I presume?"

"You took my boy from me Dr. Mallard. You have no idea how much harm you caused my family by sending Vinnie to jail. Let's see how you like it when we turn the tables on you."

Ducky's eyes widened as he watched her roll Luna into sight, tied up and laying on a metal table they no doubt used to prepare the beloved deceased for their funerals. The young girl was awake and frightened, pulling constantly on the bonds around her wrists and ankles, with tears in her eyes. She had a thick rope tied around her mouth and he could already see the rope burns around her lips.

"What are you doing? No—she hasn't done anything, she's only a child!"

"So was Vincent, when he was sent away." Mary Hanlan hissed at him as she turned towards Luna. "But don't worry Doctor. We know how to take care of our guests." She picked up a syringe and fitted a needle to it with a small smile. "Say good night to the little girl, Dr. Mallard."

"Jethro will find us Luna—be calm my dear, everything will be all right." Ducky stuttered. "Please—you can let her go, you've got me already—what could you possibly gain from retaining a child in such conditions? And what in heavens name are you giving her?!"

"Oh, it's just an anesthetic doctor." Vincent said with a smile. Ducky wondered how he could have such straight teeth as his tests had shown his teeth firmly planted on the exhumed skull the agents had dug up from the cemetery before turning back to watching Luna's eyes shutter closed and her body grow limp.

* * *

"Uncle Ducky!!!"

"Hello my dear! How was your flight?" Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard bent down slowly to give the eight year old girl a hug. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before leaning back and giving him a puzzled look.

"It's too far to fly, Uncle Ducky. We came by port-key!"

Ducky heard a low chuckle and straightened up as the girls parents walked up behind her. "Good to see you, cousin." The vivacious blonde greeted with a smile. "Thank you for agreeing to look after Luna for a few weeks—Xeno and I have been so looking forward to this trip." Ducky gave her a quick hug and shook the man's hand.

"Nonsense, Seraphina. You know how much my mother and I dote on young Luna." She smiled in response and patted her daughter's head.

"Now Luna, remember what we told you last time we came to the US?"

Luna nodded enthusiastically. "I know. We came on the bird with metal wings!"

"That would be an aeroplane, Luna." Ducky corrected with a smile.

Luna cocked her head to the side. "Right. Why is it called an aeroplane, Uncle Ducky?"

"While many would attribute the modern marvel of the aeroplane to Orville and Wilbur Wright—two very astute brothers who built a 'flying machine' in 1903, the human drive for aerial travel originated with the Chinese—"

Xeno leaned forward and gave Luna a kiss on the top of her head. "We'll be in touch," he said as the doctor and child turned towards the entrance of the building. Luna turned once to smile wave good bye and Ducky gave them a nod in acknowledgement.

* * *

Ducky watched with a knot in his throat as they lifted her into an empty coffin and screwed on the lid tightly.

"What are you doing?" he asked, horrified.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you? You took away something precious from us—slowly and painfully over the course of a decade. It's time you learned your lesson, doctor." Mary Hanlan answered as she moved over to the head of the table he was laying on and tied a piece of cloth roughly over his mouth and wheeled him into a dark room.


	2. Tony

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, spoilers for the NCIS episode: "The Meat Puzzle"**

**Title: Meeting Luna**

**Summary: Where does Luna go when her parents are out hunting Snorkacks? Try the US of A. Completely AU, spoilers for the NCIS episode 'The Meat Puzzle'.**

**Chapter 2- Tony**

"Kate, I want you with Ducky when the ambulance gets here."

"But Gibbs—"

"You stick with him until there is a military security detail outside his room in Bethesda and then you join us, understand?" Gibbs ordered.

Kate nodded curtly.

Tony could feel the sweat on his palms make his gloves stick to his skin. He ignored it, intent on finding any clue that would help them find Luna. He walked through the funeral home slowly, taking careful inventory the layout—empty caskets in the side anteroom, prepping room for those that had passed to the great beyond in the back, office in the—_office_.

Moving carefully through the tidy office, he snapped some pictures as he looked for a log of some sort. Tony hit the jackpot in the second desk drawer.

"Boss! Got something!" he called, before remembering that Gibbs was interrogating the mad lady Hanlan. Cringing, he grabbed the book and headed to the side room where the interrogation was taking place.

Gibbs gave him a short nodd. "Let's hear it."

Tony blinked once, taken aback at the lack of the customary Gibbs growl. "They keep a log of the caskets leaving the funeral home—a total of three left today. We've searched the entire building so we're pretty sure she's not here, but if they sneaked her out in one of those caskets…"

"Where, DiNozzo?"

"One to Rock Creek Cemetery, two to Glenwood Cemetery, boss."

Gibbs turned back to the tied figure of Mary Hanlan, slamming his closed fist on the wall, inches away from her face. "Where. Is. She?"

Mary recovered from her reflexive flinch and smirked at him. "Why, Special Agent Gibbs—desperate, are you? Why do you think I'll help you after what you've done to my boy?!?" she screeched. Tony watched as Gibbs maintained his stare on her. She finally looked away, losing the smirk, but not all of her nerve. "You won't find her in time."

Gibbs spun around, but Tony was already dialing. "Get two extra teams and see if Abby can narrow down which of the three caskets is holding our girl."

"On it, boss!"

* * *

Tony knocked on the door, taking a few steps back to admire the large manor-like house. The door opened and a head peaked through. Large blue eyes stared at him from behind straggly blonde hair.

"Hi."

"Hi." Tony furrowed his eyebrows. _Hadn't Ducky said that he lived with his mother?_

"Who is it, honey?"

Now, _that_ sounded like it could be Ducky's mother. The door opened wider to reveal a thin, elderly woman.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo, ma'am. I work with your son at NCIS. He called—said I'd be coming over?"

"You're Italian!"

"Yes, I am."

Mrs. Mallard opened the door wider and the young girl slipped behind her. "You're a gigolo!"

"Uh… well—" Tony said, glancing at the girl behind Ducky's mother, "I wouldn't _exactly_ call—"

"You move furniture."

"I could." Tony said uncertainly. The little girl giggled behind Mrs. Mallard.

"I have a commode that has no business being here. It belongs in the lounge. I keep telling Donald but he never listens!"

"Well, if you'll show me where—" Tony stopped moving forward as the elderly woman held up her cane and glared at him.

"Who are you?" He looked between Mrs. Mallard and the young girl who was now perched on top of the previously mentioned commode, swinging her feet in an odd rhythm.

"Anthony DiNozzo. Everyone calls me Tony."

"That's an Italian name."

"Yes it is. And if you'll just show me where—"

"You're a gigolo! If you look down my blouse—" Mrs. Mallard narrowed her eyes at him, "I'll disembowel you."

Tony laughed uncomfortably. "That—that's funny."

"I have a knife in my brassiere."

"I'll keep that in mind." Tony was starting to get a _little _freaked out by Ducky's mother.

She squinted at him. "Who are you again?"

Tony raised an eyebrow and wondered if the rest of his afternoon was going to consist of explaining who he was and dodging the old woman's knife, when the girl decided to speak up.

"Nana, Uncle Ducky sent him. It's Uncle Tony, remember?"

"Ah, yes. Tony. I didn't know Donald had Italian friends!"

The young girl jumped off the commode and tugged Mrs. Mallard's hand. "Could I introduce Uncle Tony to the corgis, Nana?"

"Of course my dear. I'll get Contessa from the dining room—you show him to the parlor, yes? And we'll make some tea!"

Tony closed the front door slowly as the girl bounced over to the parlor. He was about to follow her when Mrs. Mallard turned back to him. "She has a knife in _her_ brassiere too." Tony thought about how unlikely it was that a girl that age—and then he thought about how inappropriate that thought was.

Luna darted back into the corridor and grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the parlor. "Come on!" She dropped his hand as soon as they were in the parlor and jumped onto a fancy (and stiff) looking sofa in between two corgis that obligingly moved to the side. There was a third one under the sofa, growling at him. She leaned over the the edge of the sofa and scrunched her nose at it. "That's Tyson." She straightened up and patted the dog on her left, then her right. "This is Bruce, and this is Stefana."

"Tyson, Bruce, and Stefana. Got it."

"Tyson tends to growl the most and he hurt his ear—see?" she said, bending forward again to reach down and tug the corgi's collar to coax him out. Tyson scooted forward a few inches and she turned her head—still upside down, to see him. She pointed at the dog's slightly tattered right ear. She straightened up once she saw him nod. "Bruce kicks when he sleeps and Stefana likes to catch fairies. And Nana is bringing Contessa—she always follows Nana around, unless she's being brushed. But you only have to watch out for Tyson—he bites."

"Ah. And what's your name?"

She gave him a charming smile. "Oh. I'm Luna."

* * *

"Abby, we need you to see if you can match any of those burials to a white casket, brass detail, regular size and a closed-casket burial."

"Tony, why am I looking for funeral details?" Abby asked, typing away at her computer.

* * *

"And if you think my name's interesting, you should ask what my mother's name is."

Tony decided to humor her. "And what is your mother's name?"

"Seraphina. If you think that's unusual, you should ask me what my father's name is."

_Well, she did get the old lady off my back. _"What's your father's name?"

"Xenophilius."

_That_ was weird. "Any other weirdly named people in your family?" he asked with a small smile.

"I used to have a salamander called Bumblebee." She said after thinking for a few moments.

"What happened to him?" he asked, curious in spite of himself.

"He found a lady salamander called Morgana. She ate him." Luna pouted, still upset at the loss of her first pet.

Tony shook his head to try to clear it after her declaration. "Um. Soooo… Luna. Thanks for the tips on the dogs—"

"They're corgis."

"Right—corgis." Tony paused and jerked a thumb at the doorway. "Any tips on dealing with the old lady?"

"Hmmm…" she thought for a moment, tapping her finger on her chin and swinging her legs back and forth, barely missing Tyson's nose. "She likes tea."

"And corgis."

"And the WWE."

"Riiiight."

"She doesn't carry a hidden knife anywhere that I know of—Uncle Ducky wouldn't let her—but she has a wicked swing with her cane. Can you teach me how to make a kite?"

* * *

"Because Ducky says they put Luna in a coffin, we can't find her anywhere in the building, and those three left the funeral home some time today, okay? Work fast, Abby."

Tony snapped the phone shut as he heard sirens pulling into the parking lot. _About time._ He jogged back to the others, jumping over the pool of blood surrounding Vincent Hanlan's body as the back up team came in, one to take in Mary Hanlan and her husband, the other to follow them to the cemeteries.

* * *

Tony looked up as the doorbell rang. He stood up and motioned Mrs. Mallard to remain seated when she started to rise.

"More tea, Nana?" Luna asked, pouring her another cup of tea as Tony gave her a nod in acknowledgement. He put a finger to his lips as he walked to the door. Taking a precautionary look out the curtain, he answered the door to find a delivery man dropping off an eerily familiar looking barrel labeled 'Perishable'.

"Damn."

"Uncle Tony?" He turned around to see Luna peeking out from the archway leading to the parlor, her head tilted to the side in an inquisitive look. "Everything okay?"

His face softened, and he gave her a small shrug. "Yeah. Just got to call my boss. You stay inside with Mrs. Mallard, okay?" She nodded and slipped back into the parlor. He could already hear her peppering the old lady with questions. The kid was a life saver. Odd, but still. A life saver.

* * *

Tony gripped the handle by the roof of the car as Gibbs sped down the road. He wondered if the car with the backup team could keep up with them. As Gibbs cut someone else off to take a sharp right turn, he found himself taking rapid, shallow breaths. _They better keep up. And we better get there in time._


	3. McGee

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, spoilers for the NCIS episode: "The Meat Puzzle"**

**Title: Meeting Luna**

**Summary: Where does Luna go when her parents are out hunting Snorkacks? Try the US of A. Completely AU, spoilers for the NCIS episode 'The Meat Puzzle'.**

**Chapter 3- McGee**

"McGee! It's Abby."

"Yeah, Abbs—what've you got?" Tim asked, moving out of the way so that another agent could take his place digging.

"I found out that two of the three funerals were open casket ceremonies, so assuming they didn't just ignore a little girl hiding in one of the caskets—"

"Then she must be in the one with the closed casket burial. Which one, Abby?"

"Clemson Jones in Glenwood Cemetery. Gibbs says to have the other agents keep digging just in case, but he wants you at Glenwood."

"Thanks Abby, I'm on my way."

McGee ran back to the car and dumped the shovel in the passenger seat as he fumbled the keys into the ingnition and pulled out of Rock Creek Cemetery.

* * *

McGee was walking back to the car, already plotting the best course to the center that had delivered the barrel to the Mallard's house, when he heard Gibbs call out.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Looking up, he was startled to see a young girl climbing down the drainpipe from the second floor. The closest open window was easily six feet from the pipe.

"Hi Uncle Gibbs!" The young girl called, her long blonde hair lifting with the stray wind. She held on with her wobbly knees and one hand as she waved merrily at the NCIS agent on the ground.

Gibbs was already moving towards her. "Keep both hands on that pipe, young lady!"

"Oh dear Lord," Ducky muttered as he pulled off his gloves. "Mr. Palmer—the ladder—quickly!"

As she shimmied down the drainpipe, Tony's head leaned out the open window. "Where—LUNA!"

"Yes, Uncle Tony?" the girl asked, pausing her downward progress.

"Palmer! McGee! The ladder, on the double!" Gibbs barked as he pulled off his cap to keep his eyes on the girl.

Tim moved quickly to help Jimmy bring over the ladder as Gibbs instructed her to stay still. They leaned it against the wall and Gibbs was up the ladder in no time, reaching out to hold the young girl.

She hugged his neck as he climbed back down. "Uncle Gibbs, I haven't seen you in months!!"

"And the first thing you do when you see me is climb out a second floor window?" he asked, half-amused.

She shrugged. "It's not as tall as our house. Besides, I wanted to see you."

"And what was wrong with using the stairs?"

"Well, Uncle Tony said he didn't want me to cross the door into the hallway."

"So you crossed the window ledge instead."

"Yup!"

"DiNozzo!" Luna cringed at the shout, eventhough Gibbs brought up a hand to cover her ear as he called for his senior field agent.

"Yeah, boss?"

"You're looking after Mrs. Mallard for the rest of the afternoon. Luna's coming back to NCIS with us."

"Boss?" Tony looked heartbroken, his eyes shifting between Gibbs and the young girl who was smiling delightedly. Tim couldn't help but feel a smile tug his lips in response. "But—boss—you don't understand—the dogs—the tea…"

Gibbs was already walking back to the car. "Kate is on security detail on Ducky, McGee is finding out where that barrel came from, and I'm keeping an eye on Luna. That leaves you, DiNozzo."

As Gibbs bent down to place Luna in the back seat, Tim heard her whisper, "Wait—I haven't told him about the videos in the commode."

Gibbs turned to look at her. "We'll let him figure it out on his own."

"Luna! Luna, come on, we'll give it another try all right?"

Luna looked out the back window and waved as they pulled away. She leaned forward in the back seat until she could see him clearly. "Hi, I'm Luna. Do _you_ know how to build a kite?"

* * *

He jumped out of the car and ran towards the flashlights. He noticed that Kate was there as well—he'd expected Tony to have moved over from leading the digging at the other grave, but he hadn't known Kate would be leaving Ducky alone.

"Boss."

Gibbs sent a nod his way without looking up from his digging. McGee patted the extra agent on the shoulder and grabbed his shovel, taking his place with the digging. They were all sweaty and their clothes smudged with dirt—but none of them noticed, as the team continued digging towards the white coffin.

* * *

"You understand we have work to do?" Gibbs asked, kneeling down to be on the same level as Luna, who sat very still on his chair. She nodded quickly.

"You're to stay with one of us—and only with people we leave you with. No creative interpretation of orders given, all right? I don't want to see you climbing down another drainpipe because you wanted to avoid disobeying an order."

She nodded again, smiling slightly.

Gibbs looked his way, and McGee started typing quickly on his computer. "Looking into their finances, boss."

Kate was on the phone in a second. "Checking missing persons for possible identities."

He turned back to Luna. "You keep an eye on them for me."

Luna grinned and gave him a sloppy salute. "Yes, Boss!" Gibbs smiled and mussed up her hair before heading to the elevator. Tim shared a glance with Kate as the young girl looked through Gibb's desk drawers. Kate was already getting out of her chair as Luna reached for the drawer with Gibb's spare gun, but she simply tugged at it a little before moving on to the next drawer. Kate leaned over the desk and smiled at her.

"Hi. I'm Kate."

"Hi. I'm Luna." She said without looking up.

A bit disappointed by the lack of attention, Kate kept her smile on her face and tried again. "Can I help you find something?"

"Uncle Gibbs doesn't keep any markers around, does he?" she asked, looking around a bit disappointedly.

"Ah… no."

Luna looked up at Kate and tilted her head inquisitively. "Do you keep any markers around?"

"No, but I have some colored pens you could use."

"Tim's going to help me make a kite."

"Uh—well, maybe, you know, after the case is over—" Tim stuttered as Kate threw a glance his way.

"You can come too, if you want." Luna continued. "I bet you know how to make them fly real high. Do you have a newspaper?"

"Sure," Tim replied, walking over to hand her yesterday's paper. In moments, she was engrossed in circling certain letters and drawing lines across them.

"Tony would find some movie to link this to, I'm sure of it." Kate muttered as she went back to her desk. She picked up the phone to resume her work.

An hour or so later, Tim looked up to see Luna peeking over the top of his desk.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Is that classified?" she whispered, pointing at the back of his computer screen.

"Uh… no."

Luna skipped over to his side and sat on the floor next to him. She pulled her newspaper with her, and was soon entranced with the letters again. He smiled when he saw her eyes cross a couple of times.

A few minutes later, he heard a small crinkling noise. Turning around slowly, he saw a cherry cordial on his desk. McGee kept turning around until he saw Luna distractedly unwrapping her own cherry cordial.

"Thanks."

She smiled at him before biting into her own little treat.

"Hey," Tim whispered.

"Yeah?"

"What was in the commode? You know, the one you wanted to tell Tony about?"

"WWE replays. Nana _loves_ WWE replays."

* * *

"Gibbs, I think I hit something!" Kate called. She knelt down to brush the soil away. "It's a white casket!"

McGee held his breath as they removed enough soil for Gibbs to force the tip of his shovel into a crack below the lid and whispered a prayer.


	4. Kate

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, spoilers for the NCIS episode: "The Meat Puzzle"**

**Title: Meeting Luna**

**Summary: Where does Luna go when her parents are out hunting Snorkacks? Try the US of A. Completely AU, spoilers for the NCIS episode 'The Meat Puzzle'.**

**Chapter 4- Kate**

Kate tossed her shovel to the side, barely registering the extra agent that dodged out of the way. She grabbed a flashlight and aimed its beam onto the casket as Gibbs pried it open.

She tried to hold the flashlight steady when she saw how pale Luna was.

* * *

Kate watched as Ducky handed Luna a cup of hot chocolate and settled himself onto the couch to continue reading to her. She nodded to Ducky as she made her rounds around the house, checking the perimeter and making sure Mrs. Mallard was still snoring peacefully in her room. The old lady was certainly a handful. When she got back, Ducky was snoring softly, with a blanket tucked around him. Luna was sitting at the end of the couch, reading.

Kate sat down on an armchair next to her as she whispered, "Aren't you going to bed, young lady?"

"Not yet. Miss Kate?"

"Yes, Luna?"

"What's a gigolo?"

Kate was speechless for a moment. "What?"

"Uncle Ducky wouldn't tell me," she said with a pout, "but I really want to know."

"Why do you want to know what a gigolo is?"

"Because Nana kept calling Uncle Tony the 'Italian gigolo that moves furniture'."

Kate couldn't help but laugh. _Oh, Tony is not going to live this one down._ She coughed as she noticed Luna still looking at her expectantly.

"Um, what did Ducky say when you asked him?"

"That I had to ask my mother."

"I think you should ask your mother as well."

"Maybe I should ask Uncle Gibbs." Luna said thoughtfully, before turning back to her book.

Kate thought that evening was going to be etched into her mind as one of the most amusing since she'd joined NCIS.

* * *

"She's not breathing!" Gibbs declared as he knelt down to pick her up carefully, moving her from the casket to the newly overturned soil.

"The medics are here Gibbs, I can see them coming." Kate said, as she watched him start rescue breathing. The emergency team placed the stretcher on the ground next to her. Gibbs moved out of the way so they could secure Luna on the stretcher. Within moments they had a bag over her face and were wheeling her towards the ambulance.

Gibbs turned back to his team. "I want pictures and sketches. Bag _everything_. Send the dimensions to Abby so she can approximate how long she might have been without air. I'm following her to Bethesda."

Tony and McGee were working together to take pictures of the scene while the other agents roped the area off.

"Kate, give us a hand with the lights, would you?"

* * *

"Mrs. Mallard? Mrs. Mallard, we need to get you and our dog back into the house." Kate said, her eyes scoping out the dark yard.

Mrs. Mallard turned to look at her. "That's not my dog."

"Of course it is, Mrs. Mallard."

"No it's not. I only have corgis."

Kate suddenly got a really bad feeling. She ushered Mrs. Mallard back into the house as she called out for Ducky. When she got to the parlor where she had left both of them sleeping, neither one of them was there. Only an overturned armchair and a broken mug of hot chocolate, staining the lush carpet.

* * *

"Kate?" Tony called again. "McGee, get those pictures of the casket to Abby, then get back to taking more pictures of the crime scene." He turned back to Kate, pulling her to the car. "Hey, you all right?"

"Y-yeah." She looked up, her eyes wet. "Some people are really sick."

"Yeah." He said softly, handing her a phone. "Give Ducky a call okay? It'll be good to let him know we found Luna." Kate shook herself as she watched him turn back to work on the scene. _Pull yourself together, Kate._ She dialed the phone.


	5. Abby

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, spoilers for the NCIS episode: "The Meat Puzzle"**

**Title: Meeting Luna**

**Summary: Where does Luna go when her parents are out hunting Snorkacks? Try the US of A. Completely AU, spoilers for the NCIS episode 'The Meat Puzzle'.**

**Chapter 5-Abby**

"Abby."

"Timmy!! Did you find her, did you find her?" Abby asked, pacing inside her lab.

"Yeah Abby, we found her." He answered tiredly.

"And?? Come on Tim, you have to give me more than that."

"I _would_ Abby, if you'd let me get a word in. Yes, we found her. Gibbs is following the ambulance to Bethesda. She wasn't breathing but she had a pulse—we don't know how long she's been without air." Abby stopped pacing and dropped onto her stool, her eyes watering.

"I'm sending you pictures now Abby. We need an estimate of how long she may have been without air—"

"Why does that matter now, McGee?" she asked, irritated. "It's not like it's going to help her or anything—"

"Because Gibbs wants to know, Abby." Tim paused as he registered how upset Abby was. It really wasn't a surprise—they'd all gotten a little attached with Ducky's niece. Now that he thought of it, he didn't know Ducky had any siblings. "You alone, Abby?"

"Yeah."

"You might want to have someone with you when you go over these." He said, sending the pictures with the laptop.

"Why?" she asked distractedly, opening the attachments. "You don't think I can handle it, McGee?" She barely paused before she fired her next question. "What? There is no picture of her here. I need to know if she's going to be okay McGee!!"

"Abby—the last one is a quick shot I got of her before they wheeled her to the ambulance—it was all I could get. We were kind of focusing on getting her help, Abbs."

_The butterfly is still on her arm._

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hi. I'm Abby."

"I'm Luna." She said distractedly as she studied the forensic scientist standing in front of her. "I don't think you are anything like my great-aunt Abigail."

"And is that a good thing?" Abby asked, folding her arms across her chest and squinting at the little girl.

"Yup." Luna said, climbing up to her stool and spinning around on top of it. Abby looked at Kate and smiled.

"Go go go go go—you don't want to keep Gibbs waiting! We'll be fine here."

She turned around to find herself face to face with Luna, who was looking at her neck in interest. "Does the spiderweb protect you from nargles? Or does it attract acromantulas?"

Abby had to lean back slightly to figure out how Luna got to her height. When she realized that the young girl was standing _on_ the swiveling stool, she quickly grasped her shoulders to make sure she didn't slip, fall, and crack her cranium on the floor or on Major Mass Spec. "I don't know about nargles but I've never been attacked by a spider any bigger than…" she paused as she lifted Luna and set her down, sitting on the stool. She drew a circle over her palm. "That big."

Luna still looked interested. "Baby acromantulas can be that big."

"Let's see if we can find a picture of the spider I saw and we can decide if it was an acromantula, all right?" Abby asked, skating her around the table to her computers. Luna nodded happily.

* * *

"Abbs?"

"Yeah. I'm here."

She looked through the other pictures with narrowed eyes. Abby Sciuto, forensic scientist extraordinaire, was going to give them a run through of everything those lunatics had put the little girl through. Just so Gibbs could give them everything they deserved.

"I'm on it, McGee."

* * *

They'd spent about an hour looking at pictures of spiders online and talking about tattoos in general, when Luna expressed interest in getting one.

"Hmmm… what kind would you get?"

"I think a crumple-horned snorkak, once I figure out what they look like." Luna said seriously.

"Well, you would want to be sure of what one looks like before you get a tat, that's for sure." Abby agreed, wondering where the girl was getting the names of the creatures. They didn't sound remotely like anything she'd ever heard or read about, and she digged these kind of things.

"Maybe a butterfly."

"You know, we could give you a little one if you want. I have colored pens." Abby offered, lifting her eyebrows.

Luna's eyes widened. "Yeah!"

Abby sketched a few butterflies on a piece of paper as Luna picked out colored pens. She let her pick out the colors she wanted and they colored in her sketches. Luna picked one, and she set out to make a copy on her arm. The girl stayed remarkably still through the entire ten minutes it took. Just as she got her a small cup of Caf-Pow and they admired their work, McGee walked in.

"Hey—we…" he trailed off when he saw their grins and started walking backwards. "What did you do?"

"Look Uncle Tim, I got me a tattoo!" Luna said, showing him her arm.

"That—that's very nice." Tim said, taking in the red wings with purple and white polka dots, outlined in green.

Abby grinned.

"Look Uncle Gibbs!" Luna said, skirting around McGee to launch herself at Gibbs. He smiled and crouched down to catch her in a brief hug and a quick kiss on her head. "What did you do now?"

"Aunt Abby made me a tat—look!" Gibbs raised an eyebrow at the sight on her arm and turned his glance at Abby.

She just smiled and shrugged. "Luna picked the colors!"

* * *

Abby paused in the process of jotting down notes for her recreation of the crime scene as she found a piece of paper with butterfly sketches. Grabbing her tape, she put it up on the wall next to her pictures of the team before continuing her work.


	6. Gibbs

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, spoilers for the NCIS episode: "The Meat Puzzle"**

**Title: Meeting Luna**

**Summary: Where does Luna go when her parents are out hunting Snorkacks? Try the US of A. Completely AU, spoilers for the NCIS episode 'The Meat Puzzle'.**

**Chapter 6- Gibbs**

Gibbs climbed into the ambulance, keeping his eyes on Luna. Her chest was moving up and down slowly so at least he knew she was getting oxygen. Squatting by the gurney, he grasped her hand tightly as the attendant slipped an IV to deliver fluids. A moment later, the ambulance was on its way to Bethesda.

Gibbs ran his free hand over his face as he stared at the pale young girl laying still.

He was already cataloguing her external injuries. A cut on the head, probably a dislocated shoulder the medic was already stabilizing, rope burns on her wrists and ankles, bruises. The skin on the tip of her fingers was raw. Gibbs realized the medic was talking to him gently and turned to him, trying to focus on his words. It was only then that he realized he had been holding Luna's small hand so tightly he might leave a new set of bruises, and immediately slackened his grip but refused to let her go.

* * *

"Ah, Jethro. You haven't met Luna yet, have you? She's visiting from Britain—her grandmother and my mother are cousins. Sweet little thing, although a bit odd."

Jethro parked the car and glanced at Ducky as he slipped out of the passenger side of the car. Shrugging mentally, he climbed out of the driver's seat and walked into the Mallard's home, greeting Mrs. Mallard as he joined them for dinner.

"Luna?" Ducky called. "Luna! Dinner is served!"

A young girl scampered into the room, wearing a large olive green hat (probably Mrs. Mallard's), an orange shirt with purple overalls and dark green socks, followed by all four corgis. Jethro watched her amusedly as she struggled to climb unto the chair across from him while Ducky poured them something to drink. When she finally got onto her chair, her hat was drooping dangerously off one ear, her overalls were askew, and her eyes barely reached the table. She waved at him and he nodded back at her with a twitch of the lips. She appeared to find it extremely amusing because she started giggling—so much so that the hat fell off her head. Ducky sighed as he picked her up, placed a booster seat on the chair before setting her down. Gibbs reached down around the table and picked up the hat, placing it gently on her head.

"Thank you!" she piped up with a British accent.

"You're welcome."

She tilted her head to the side and the hat fell over her eyes. Luna lifted a small hand to tilt it appropriately to the side so she could see him with one eye. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Gibbs."

* * *

Gibbs stared at the bloody, bruised fingers in his hand. _On my watch. This happened on _my_ watch._

* * *

"Hey, you finished with that hot chocolate?"

"Yes, Uncle Gibbs!" Luna said as she climbed nimbly around the frame of his boat. He watched her for a moment before going back to his work.

"Uncle Gibbs?" He looked up to find that she'd clambered up the side of the boat and was hanging upside down. "Do you know any witches? Or wizards?"

He quickly put down his planer and moved into the frame to pull her off the wooden structure. He tugged her lightly at her waist until she obliged by letting go, and he placed her safely on the ground. "You mean like magicians?" he asked a bit skeptically. "Why?"

"Oh nothing, just wondering." She answered distractedly. Uncle Ducky had told her Gibbs was a muggle, but she'd really hoped he wasn't. How was he going to get his boat out of the basement if he didn't know any wizards? _I'll just have to get Mommy to come and help. It'll be a surprise!_

"Do you have trouble with Scottish pixies? They like to eat wood dust." She said, poking at the pile she'd helped sweep up earlier.

This odd questioning was something Gibbs was starting to get used to and even expect, from Ducky's niece. "What kind of wood?" he asked, as he picked up the planer again, making sure to keep an extra eye on her before she decided on another climbing expedition.

Luna scrunched up her face. "Cedar, mostly."

"Well," Gibbs said patting his boat, "I'm using white oak."

"Oh, alright then!"

* * *

Gibbs leaned in and whispered, "Come on, Luna. Hang in there for me." He thought he saw her eyelids flutter, but it happened so quickly he wasn't sure.

He followed the gurney as they wheeled her in through the doors to Bethesda, managing to keep his hold on her hand, only letting go when the medics surrounded her and asked him to wait outside. And wait he did.

* * *

**AN:** Hmmm… not entirely happy with this one, but I'm not sure what's missing. Originally I wanted to put in something about Kelly, but that draft turned out pretty messy… Thanks to everyone who's been reading—and I'd really appreciate some constructive criticism for this one. Please review!


	7. Luna

**Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine, spoilers for the NCIS episode: "The Meat Puzzle"**

**Title: Meeting Luna**

**Summary: Where does Luna go when her parents are out hunting Snorkacks? Try the US of A. Completely AU, spoilers for the NCIS episode 'The Meat Puzzle'.**

**Chapter 7- Luna**

Luna opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the air above her, unencumbered by cloth and wood. She sighed happily and looked around her.

"Uncle Gibbs?" she croaked, her throat quite dry. His head snapped up from the side of her bed and he seemed surprised but pleased, to see her awake.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, reaching over to get her some water.

"Hello."

"I told you he would find us, did I not, my dear?" Ducky asked, walking over to sit at the foot of her bed.

She nodded with a smile, before going back to sleep.

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the cool, silky cloth underneath her cheek. Luna opened her eyes and blinked experimentally. No, the darkness did not abate.

Second, she noticed that her hands were no longer tied, although her left shoulder hurt terribly. She moved her wrists experimentally, quickly finding the obstruction in front of her and realizing that she was in a box of sorts. It only took her a few moments to come to the conclusion that it was closed all the way around her, covered in the nice cloth over her, under her, and all around her.

* * *

Tony stopped arguing with Kate about their choice of meeting place in the park and spun around as he recognized the characteristic bark of corgis.

"Aw Luna—did you have to bring the dogs?" he asked good naturedly as she skipped ahead to him. _Well, at least Tyson hadn't tried to nip his heels. Yet._

Kate gave her a quick hug in greeting before Tony picked her up and swung her in a circle, smirking as she laughed loudly.

_It's good to see some color in her cheeks. _Smiling, Kate walked up to Ducky and his mother, greeting them and continued setting up some lawn chairs and simple picnic food.

* * *

Luna knocked on the top and the sides of the casket—it hadn't been hard to come to the conclusion that it was a coffin of sorts, since the last thing she remembered was being in a room where there were three open ones. Uncle Ducky said that Uncle Gibbs would find them and she had no doubt he would, but that didn't mean she couldn't help.

She tried calling out but switched to pounding the top and the sides of her cell.

Uncle Gibbs would find her. Uncle Ducky had promised.

Luna couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes or the fear that was making it hard to breathe. She knew they'd find her. It didn't make it any less frightening.

* * *

Kate had to smother a grin when Luna squirmed out of Tony's arms and skipped over to meet McGee. Tony was pouting.

"Uncle Tim, Uncle Tim!!" she smiled up at him, tugging his arms down so she could peek into the box he was carrying.

"Probie! It's a picnic, not a study session! What's with the books?" Tony asked, plucking a book out of the box.

"Hey, that's for Luna!"

"For me?" she asked, turning to tug Tony's arm down, trying to read the title on the cover. "What's it say, Uncle Tony?"

"It has instructions for building a kite." McGee grinned. She smiled brightly at him and tugged at Tony's arm more insistently.

"Come on Uncle Tony, let me see!!"

* * *

Luna woke up with a start. Patting her surroundings weakly, she sadly realized that she was still in her little prison. She knew the silky cloth under her cheek was wet with tears, but she curled up as well as she could anyway. She wondered if her Mum and Dad had found any snorkaks yet.

At least she didn't have to worry about nargles—there was no mistletoe in the coffin, at least, not any she'd noticed before. Frowning, she felt around with her hands, making sure to check along the corners of the casket. Luna scooted down further to check the area by her feet. She grimaced as she found the top to be too close for her to bend her knees and kicked at it in frustration.

Pouting, she used her bare feet to check the edges. Nope, no mistletoe. No sprigs of any kind! That was good, she thought with a smile. That meant no garden gnomes, no pine-crazed squixlers, and no chipmunks! Wait. She frowned. She liked chipmunks. Boooooo.

* * *

A few minutes later, Gibbs showed up with Abby, both of them carrying more kite-making and decorating material. Tony, Tim, and Luna decided on three kite designs and set to making them.

Luna struggled with her the pieces that were supposed to make the frame. "Auntie Kate?"

"Hmm?" Kate turned around from her conversation with Abby to look at Luna, holding her half-finished attempt of a kite.

"Can you help me?" she looked over and saw that DiNozzo was too busy poking fun at McGee, and McGee was too busy defending _his_ attempts at making a kite to realize that the little girl couldn't make her kite by herself—specially with a sore shoulder.

"Of course, sweetie."

* * *

She wished she could pop around like Tippy, their house elf. Then she would be able to pop over to find Uncle Gibbs. Where was he anyway? It was taking him awfully long to find her. Maybe he had forgotten?

No, Uncle Gibbs wouldn't do that. She'd promised to help him get his boat out of the basement when he'd finished and he _loved_ that boat. He'd even make a hole in his house to get it out once it was finished!! Probably anyway.

No, Uncle Gibbs probably had to find all sorts of clues and then put them all together before he could find her—like the puzzle he'd been so nice to help her with the first night she'd seen him. Miss Kate would help—she would be good at puzzles.

Luna decided that if Abby invited her over for hot chocolate she'd ask to sleep outside, under the stars. It was much too boring to sleep inside a coffin.

* * *

One hour (and a few pointers from Gibbs) later, the girls had their finished kite. Tony and McGee had realized that their kites were going to go up in competition with something their boss had had a hand in and quickly pushed to finish theirs at around the same time. Luna and Abby were putting a few final touches on decorating their kite while snacking on some food when Tony presented his kite. Tim wasn't far behind.

Ducky pointed out a nice open field nearby and they headed in that direction. Kate sat Ducky, and Mrs. Mallard as Tony, McGee, Gibbs, Abby and Luna walked over to the top of a small hill. After a few ineffectual attempts at getting the kites in the air, Tony and McGee started running across the field to see if they could get the kites to catch on a small breeze.

* * *

She was starting to get sleepy again. Somehow, she knew that sleeping would be the _wrong_ thing to do right now and started hitting the top of coffin with her small fist and calling for help. Luna was starting to get dizzy and her eyes drooped tiredly. _Oh no, the wrackspurts found me…_ she wondered if Gibbs would catch one for her when he found her. Being a muggle, he probably wouldn't even notice them. Pity…

* * *

"We could've picked a better day for kite flying." Kate said, grinning as Tony stumbled over the uneven ground but regained his footing. Tim's kite caught a small breeze and started going up, but didn't quite clear the ground.

"Unfortunately, it's the only day we were all free--and Luna's parents are coming by tomorrow to take her back to England." Ducky replied.

Kate frowned. "There isn't enough wind to-"

Gibbs was holding Luna, perching her on his hip as he helped guide her small hands to holding the roll of string. The purple-and-red kite, decorated with a yellow butterfly, started tugging up into the air.

Abby had been watching Tony and Tim race around the field, but turned around as Luna's delighted laugh reached them. Abby felt a strange shift in the air as she watched Luna's kite go up with an unexpected breeze. Seeing this, the two other NCIS agents hurried over. Luna turned to look at them and smiled as their kites were swept in the air.

Abby smiled as well, spinning around with her arms stretched wide. As she caught sight of the white clouds above them, she stopped spinning and took a more careful look at the flying kites. _There's something hinky about their flying pattern compared to the stillness of the clouds._ She looked over at where Gibbs was putting Luna on the ground carefully and smiled as the young girl skipped over towards her, talking excitedly the entire way about flying as high as her kite one day. Abby wrapped her arms around Luna and picked her up before running towards Tony and Tim, hoping their kite strings wouldn't get tangled as they tore down the hill, corgis chasing all the way.

* * *

**AN: **Well, that's it for now. I'm planning a sequel based around "Twilight" and "Kill Ari", but it won't be written for a little while as I'm still working out some details. Thanks for reading! Please review.


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